I wanted to take you back to a place in time, where we as a people could gather together in large masses and sit down next to one another without a mask. Could you imagine that today? I never thought I would miss this experience or learn to go without it. See we take for granted the things we don’t believe are a gift, well we just didn’t know then we were on borrowed time.
Let me tell you about this day. I forgot about this magically place as if it was a snow globe. I shake it sometimes so I can remember. As if I opened up a magazine to find my photography, thinking to myself; is this a scratch and sniff?
With 30 foot walls of water, if you stuck your tongue out; you might just taste the aroma in the air. With circus like dancing colors, the music times in perfectly as if; someone was doing a somersault. If you ever wanted to know the trajectory of a spray can, if you zoom in you might just find the water gun disguising itself as a sprinkler.
Believe it or not, this water show almost lasted a half an hour. Yet, the sky cracked open as if someone was opening their curtains. A loud speaker turned on giving us a warning to run for shelter. We scattered like ants, as if someone was trying to pour water through a hole into a sand castle.
Flash back… I walked through the gates, made my way to the bathroom and I stood in line as I passed the gift shop. Is this the wait to heaven? Next in line I come through the glass doors to this big open field in awe. I had my camera lined up in sight, ready to paint the next Creation of Adam.
This would be a tadpoles best friend. The ribbit… The croaking sound of a bullfrog under the leaf. If I wasn’t mistaken, this was a zoo intended be without aquatic wild life. When I snapped this photo, I did not know how authentic it would be. I didn’t want it picture perfect, because I wanted to demonstrate; we don’t need resolution to tell our story.
I stumbled through the door, wide shoulders in all. Puzzled as I tripped over misbelief. Here lays in the garden of small trees, I found the Japanese Zelkova. For a second, I thought I saw the avatars climbing the trees.
Here’s some cool facts about Japanese Zelkova tree.
They grow in Japan ( Nihon), if that is surprising. As well as Korea, Eastern China, and Taiwan. They’re often used in Bonsai art, which is an East Asian style of capturing the tree; that mimics the full life size with cultivation techniques. This tree can grow up to 60-80 feet in height and can span it’s branches to the same length.
Welcome to the hanging gardens of Babylon, well that’s what I call it anyway. If you have ever seen the movie, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”; you’ll feel very tiny in this mansion of a greenhouse. Everything put in it’s place, as if it was a silent protest. I snapped the camera ten times rapidly, hoping I catch the shrubs gliding as if they held flying rings.
I came pass here 17 times, hoping I could catch a photo with no one in it. Then I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be so much more powerful; if it felt like you were looking through a telescope. Just as I reached the 16th passing, I saw this family organizing the best Christmas card. There was an elderly women in a wheel chair, two grandchildren, a mother, father and a sister-law. They were trying to take a photo of grandmother with the little boy and girl on her lap.
I waited… 5 minutes went by and it was the most satisfying feeling as they captured this moment; something they could hold onto for a lifetime.
I made a serials of lefts and rights and somehow I ended up here. I couldn’t tell you how I found this place. Longwood Gardens is over 1,000 acres. Wow! Imagine what the drone shots would look like. Anyhow, I thought this was the perfect place to take a rest on a bench. I just happen to take a photo to document the mile-marker after walking about 7 miles.
Fun fact, it would take 43 miles to walk all of Longwood Gardens. Yikes!
Have you heard of a Bald-Cypress tree?
It’s seeds provide food to wild turkeys, wood ducks, evening grosbeak, squirrels, waterfowl, wading birds and is located in the southeastern part of United States.
It has wildly been documented that this specific tree can last over 600 years. That means there is a tree in Mississippi some 600 years ago, where the Choctaw Natives roamed their lands with horses and their spirit dog.
Did you know they were there for a possible 8,000 years, wow!
I call this one Utopia. The levitated trees above water. I wonder why this reminds me of scenes in Titanic. The flooded ballroom as everyone poses for the camera.
This is my conclusion and my hypothesis has back up by my theory. I’ve been wandering for about 20 minutes now and I’m pretty sure I’m lost. Like I took a left and then a right, but that didn’t get me anywhere. So I backed-up and tried a different direction. After 20 minutes of wandering, I found myself back on the right path.
The reason I snapped this photo, is to show that your tunnel may seem dark in the beginning and you may not know where you are going but trust me; you’re almost on the other side. See doubt sets in, then fear; after that you start relaying on your senses. If you keep pushing and trying different options, you will find a solution.
Did you know America has over 360 plus Arboretums and botanical gardens throughout the U.S.